draw and once i devised an approach that eliminates the words i can't spell, i had to kind of establish a general tone to my cartoons. now when i was -- here, too now here, too, i faced an obstacle. you see, when i was first breaking into this business, there seemed to be two types of cartoonists in this field. those who went for the jugular and those who went for the funny bone. the only problem was i didn't really seem to comfortably fit into either school of cartooning. i've always had strong views. but i never thought of myself as being shrill or malicious. and even though i have a sense of humor, you know, i'm not all that funny.

you know? i think this speaks that i can be proof to that. but eventually i would -- eventually i would find my place somewhere in the middle. i guess, you know, somewhere between going for the jug ul jugular, what would be be? going for the shoulder or biceps? that doesn't sound like a good idea. my one and only rule to cartooning is to try to make a cartoon insightful. now if i can't make it insightful, i try to make it funny. if i can't make it insightful or funny, you know, make it timely.

needless to say, i draw a lot of timely cartoons. this one was actually very timely a couple months ago when i first drew it. now you might think i'm being kind of tough on myself. but, hell, being tough on myself might be all i have going for me. you see, i've always had this terrible infear or the complex when it comes to my own work. i realize after all there are a lot of cartoonists working today who are better artists than i am. and mr. tl are plenty of cartoonists who are funnier and more intelligent than me. so suffering as i do from such lo low cartooning self-esteem, i always try to compensate by a work ethic that borders on obsession. now in light of that, i would

accept this honor tonight but not as a recognition of artistic talent, nor as a testament to any inherent wit or wisdom. i'll accept this award on behalf of neurotic insecurity. and the hard work it inspires. in closing, i'd like to again thank the national press foundation for recognizing my work. i'd like to express special express to my bosses at the chattanooga times pfree press fr their support over the last seven years and to my wife cindy for her incredible patience over the past 15 and lastly, i'd like to thank all of you who are still here for not walking out during my slide show. thank you.

>> please join us for the post dinner reception in the jefferson room on this level. we'll have live music and it's response yordz by pepsi. and on your way, i invite you to take a look at some of clay's cartoons that are available for purchase with all proceeds going to the national press foundation. i appreciate you having you here tonight. thank you. and we'll see you n year. good-bye. tuesday between 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., a focus on veterans issues. we'll show you house hearings. then after and veterans advocate at the national press club. >> next, an interview with new republican congressman will hurd

of texas. he's the first african-american republican to represent texas since reconstruction. he served abroad for a number of years in the cia. he talks about his family background, education, and his views on national security. >> congressman will hurd from the 23rd congressional district of texas. a district that includes, what, approximately 5,000 square miles, 800 mile of border along texas and mexico. how do you manage that? >> i put a lot of miles on the car. it's a big district. 29 counties, two-time zones. as you said, 800 miles of the border. it's gigantic. but that's one of the reasons why i love this district. we have some beautiful parts of the state. this is why pretty much a no name new fresh face was able to win this district was because the amount of time we spent crisscrossing it. and not afraid to burn up mile

on my car and shoe leather. and that's what makes this exciting. >> give us a sense of the demographics of the district. some of the cities or towns and what struck you the most as you traveled in your campaign. >> right. so san antonio is the most populous city in the district. it's about a fourth of san antonio. i was born and raised there. my parents still live in a house i was born in. and that's on the eastern endst district. on the western earned is el paso. also a large city. it's covered by two members of congress. i'm in between you have towns like hondo, uvalde, alpine, big bend national park. and it's about a 67% hispanic district. so you have such a rural part and urban centers of san antonio and el paso. sometimes people have one opinion and in the middle it's a very different opinion. the thing that struck me the most when i was crisscrossing

the 29 counties is that people care about national security. they're worried about their future and they're worried about the safety of their children and their family. that was great because of my background. i spent a decade as an undercover officer in the cia. this played well in being tibl represent the district very well. >> we'll talk about that. but if you were to travel from one endst district to the other, a straight shot, how long it would take? >> about 11 hours going about 80 miles an hour. the speed limit in most places is 75. if you go a couple miles over, they're okay. >> you have ever been pulled over? >> i have. i have. first time my chief of staff came in the district, one of the things that's important for me is that my d.c. staff understand the district and get out there and see it. and the first time my chief of staff was driving we got pulled over. >> what did you tell the police officer? >> nothing. he said slow it down. slow it down. it was late at night. and there were really looking at us to say, hey, be careful.

so, you know, it's great folks throughout the district. i don't know if he recognized me or not. but they were making sure that we were being safe. >> you're also the first african-american republican since reconstruction to be elected. >> yeah. >> how did that come about and why are you a republican? >> look, it was funny getting up here to washington, d.c., because the first question i got asked by mostly everyone was how did the black dude win in a hispanic district? and what's interesting is that when my parents, my parents, my dad is originally from east texas. my mom grew up in indiana. they met in los angeles. and got married and moved to san an dwroen in 1971. my father is african-american and my mother is white. and so it wasn't envogue to be an interracial couple in south texas in the early 70s. what's great is now their youngest son is about to be -- is a member of congress.

and, you know, when they first moved to san antonio, they had difficulty buying a home. and now i'm representing my hometown. and part of that is because people are no longer voting on color of your skin. it's on the content of your character. people knew that i was going to work hard and try to get things done. i was going to work across the aisle. and that i have an experience and background that is unique. nobody up here has that. and so for me, it's about working hard. at the end of the day, whether you're black, brown or anything, you know, people care about a couple things. they want food on the table, a roof over their head and they want the people that they love to be healthy and happy. and when you address those issues, it doesn't matter which community you're in, it's going to resonate with people. >> you're different from the president in terms of parties. but do you have a sense of his own background and understanding of what it was like for him to grow up in a similar situation like you? >> i'm aware. i'm aware. look, it's not just about he and i. there are a number of people that have had this experience.

and it's great using it. you learn to be empathetic. you learn to excel in places where you're the only person that looks like you. i think this was a skill that was very helpful to me when i was in the cia. so it's an honor to be up here. it's an honor to represent my hometown. and like i said, i think it's a great example of how texas has evolved and putting people in office because of who they are and what they're going to do. >> as a graduate of texas a&m, certainly one of the premier schools and a lot of school pride being an aggie. what does that mean for you? >> look, you know, we have this code of honor at texas a&m. aggies not lie, cheat or steal and don't tolerate those who do. i think it will be a lot better place. i'm proud to be an aggie. i learned a lot about leadership and representing people. i was student body president at a & m on the year of the bonfire

collapse. it was -- we basically built a really big fire about 100 or so feet tall and it collapsed during the building and killed 12 kids. and in 1999, it was the worst accident to have ever happened on the college campus. and to help lead the aggie family through what the darkest time in our history was an honor. i give that experience up if those 12 kids were still alive. but that's what -- you know, to me, it solidified what it means to be part of the aggie familiarly. we talk about the aggie network. i was able to leverage that in my run for congress. and so it's -- it's a great school. it's an awesome representing my alma mater. and the texas a&m system has a school in san antonio which is relatively new. it's in the district. so it's pretty cool to actually represent, you know, part of my alma mater. >> for those who don't remember what happened, explain the circumstances that led to the collapse. where were you when it happened? how did you respond personally?

>> sure. so, you know this was what we did to show our burning desire to beat our rival, university of texas. and it's a multitiered bonfire. it is a couple tons. it's gigantic. it's all student run and student built. and when it collapsed, it was -- there was some -- a lot of rain. it caused the ground to shift. the center pole that held up the entire thing cracked. it caused a spinning and a hoop stress and the entire thing collapsed on itself. when it collapsed, i was actually asleep. it happened about -- a little after 2:00 in the morning. one of my dearest friends called me and said you should get up here. and about 11 minutes after it collapsed, i was on campus. and involved in all the aspects of it. of, you know, helping rescue the 12 kids and dealing with the press and also making sure loved

ones knew where they could go get more information about their sons, daughters, brothers, uncles, cousins. >> how did that tradition change? >> it doesn't happen anymore at a & m. that was the last. the year before that w the last time bonfire burned. >> why student leadership and why did you decide to become stubt council president? >> you know, it's funny. i wasn't going to go to texas a a&m. texas a&m, i applied as a backup. i was a computer science major. i got accepted to stanford. i got a pretty significant scholarship to go. and i went to texas a&m because i had a counsellor at my high school, a big aggie, and he said -- he kept badgering me to go for a campus tour. i had friends that lived there. i said okay, if i go to texas a&m for this visit, will you leave me alone? and he said yes. i went up for a tour and watch a football game and fell in love with the place. fell in love with what we call

the undereducation, the opportunities to get involved. and, you know, there is something special there at texas a&m. on the side, i decided to run for student body president because i was involved in campus. i thought there were problems that needed to be fixed. my mom said i'm part of the solution. i decided to run. my buddies who i knew i would need to help me, they said yes. we decided to do it. >> how did that experience train you for running for congress? >> well, it is a big school. at the time it was 45,000 students. and whether you add -- that's undergrad. what you add graduate and you add the number of professors and administrators, you're talking 75,000, 80,000 people. it taught me to, you know, how to work with a diverse group of people. ideologically. and it taught me the importance of sticking to your principles. and that, you know, a handful of individuals can change the world. that's because that's all i ever

have. it was a good test run. i never thought i would run for congress after that. but it showed that we know how to get a message out and knock on doors. >> how do you approach the job of being a member of congress and what is your routine when hear in washington and when you go back to your district? >> sure. so i ran for two reasons. one, to be a thought leader on national security. and then, two, to be the gold standard whether it comes to constituent relations. we sauk about the district. it's huge, 29 counties. 50% of the vote comes from san antonio. some of the other counties because they're so far away from the major centers, they don't get represents. and my title is representative, right i ran to be a representative not a congressman. and so the way we spend a good deal of my time, you know, we're here for votes monday through thursday or tuesday through friday. and then i'm back in the district every weekend. i try to fly in out of san

antonio two weekends a month, midland one weekend and el paso the fourth weekend of that month. and deal with that part of the district there. and we try to focus our legislative efforts on those things that resonate and are important in the district and are key in my background. the fact that we're on the chairman of the committee and information technology within oversight and government reform is a great opportunity to leverage my experience and background, have a degree in computer science from a & m. i did some offensive cyber operations when i was in the cia. when i left the cia and, you know, lost my first run for congress, i was partner in a consulting firm and so to be able to use that to focus on four areas, privacy, attitude procureme procurement, cybersecurity and information sharing and then emerging technology. and so that's where we spent a good deal of our time because of that chairmanship.

>> why is will hurd a republican? >> i'm a republican because, look, i believe in freedom. i believe in small government. i believe in having a strong national defense. i believe in equal opportunity for all. these are all things that have always resonated with me. my dad likes to say he was the first black republican in san antonio. i tried to fact check that and haven't been able to. but, you know, i saw that in my parents. my parents started -- my dad was a salesman for 30 years. and when he retired from that job, he and my mother started a beauty supply and beauty school. and i saw what it meant to build something from scratch. and be rewarded for your efforts. and so these would experiences that i had growing up. this is what i believe in. >> brothers? sisters? >> i do. i'm the baby of three. my sister is four years older than i am. my brother is five years older. they both live in san antonio. and we're really close. >> whether you raised your hand and took the oath of office,

what were your mom and dad thinking? >> you know, i knew my mom would be crying. and my dad was proud. and it was funny. my dad is 82 years old. he showed up. he usually walks with a cane. and he showed up and he didn't have his cane. i said, dad, i do need to send someone to your hotel to get your cane? and he goes and straightens up and he says i'm in the capitol. i don't need a cane today. he walked without his cane for the entire day. and so i know they were super proud. my parents have always believed in me and they've always been my rock and biggest supporters. and so it was great. it really hit home when i stood up and raised my hand and was able to see them up in the gallery. >> what was your biggest setback growing up or early in your career? >> biggest -- well, i think biggest setback is losing the run for congress in 2010. you know, i left the cia

specifically to run. i was frustrated with the caliber of our elected leaders. my job was to collect intelligence on addressing the homeland and to brief members of congress. i briefed hundreds of members, both parties, all 50 states, i was shocked by their lack of understanding of some basic issues that they were on committees for. and so i decided to run for congress. i didn't have a plan b. when we ran and we won the first round and everybody was excited and they said wow and everybody thought we were a shoe in to win the runoff. the other side even was already sending resumes out for further jobs. and when we lost by 700 votes, i felt like i had let everyone down. i knew in my head that wasn't the case but in my heart, i felt like all these people that had never been involved in the political process before that were excited, i feel like i didn't pull it out for them. it was hard. i didn't leave my house for a while.

then i realize, you know, then i had to figure out what is my plan b? and i interviewed and had coffee with about 75 people, all walks of life. you know, different parts of the country. i asked them, you know, if you were at the time -- i guess ways 32. if you were 32 again, what would you do? if time and money wasn't an issue, what would you do? and their responses is there was no great idea to generate from that. but the father of one of my closest friends, my closest friends, these guys i've known since i was 13 years old said do something meaningful and hard. and that's -- i was like, you know, so simple. but that's how i've lived my life since that period. i realize most of my life i was always trying to do things that are meaningful and hard. i learned a lot. i'm a better person. and i think that loss prepared me for where i am today. >> so why did you decide to run again in 2014? >> the opportunity was there. i had the fire in the belly. you know, coming that close,

realizing that i had some significant disagreements with the person that was in office and thought that that person should be representing the district a little bit differently. it was something -- i love my country. i ran for office. i had the honor to serve my country for almost a decade in the cia. and to me i look at this as serving my country in a different way. and the opportunity was there and again the folks in the team said they were in for one more. we decided to do it. and the rest is history. >> so let's talk about the cia. you graduated from texas a&m. you get a job at the agency. what was your first position? what was the biggest challenge? and what did you learn from your job there? >> sure. so my first job, i was 22 years old. i'm driving my toyota four runner from san antonio to washington, d.c. i stopped at a gas station and there say tv on and the uss cole had just blown up.

blown up in the gulf by al qaeda. i remember thinking i wonder if i'm going telephoo know anythin that's going on. there after we go through the initial on there. after we go through the initial orientation i was the desk officer for yemen.quarters in langley. i'm supporting our station, cia headquarters in yemen. so that was my first job. one of the biggest challenges while i was there was fighting the bureaucracy. when i was in afghanistan, i managed undercover operations. and i felt like there were rules and regulations that we were having to use to do our jobs that were preventing us from protecting ourselves and doing the job that we were trained to do. and so fighting the bureaucracy in kabul, fighting the bureaucracy back in langley was

an incredible challenge. and in the end we won. because, you know, we knew -- i had the right experience, background and enough to get that done. it was a great experience. because guess what, that is what i'm doing here. most of my responsibility is a representative of this area is to fight the bureaucracy for those who need the bureaucracy fought. it's that simple. and it was a great -- it was a great lesson. it was a great challenge. for me when i learned in the cia is it's filled with, you know, gun-fearing, red-blooded, patriotic men and trying to do the right thing to make sure you and i can sleep well at night and our families are safe. and that commitment to saying nobody ever -- we never said, oh, we can't do that. yes was the answer. what is the question? and what can-do study is

something that permeated everything we did. and it was something i always learned at texas a&m. it was refined in the cia. and it's something that i always use now. it's come handy. >> if a future president says we want you to do cia director, is it a job you would under take? and if so, how would you approach the position? >> you know, that's a good question. it would be an honor to serve. it really would be. and how i would approach the position is, you know, you go back to the basics. the cia are the collectors of last resort. if you can't get a piece of information, you call in the cia to do that. and you've got to have very clear goals on what you are trying to collect and how you try to have a perspective. right now as the numbers in our country are increasing, we have

to have even more intelligence. when the problem with the fight against isis and syria and iraq, we don't have enough on the ground human intelligence. part of that is because we don't have enough people in the region. so that is something where my good friends, ambassador ryan crocker, he is one of the best foreign services ever produced. he said you need more pumps and wing tips on the ground. that's going to prevent us from having boots on the ground. if i was there, i would be aggressive. we would be in hard place. but we would have clear collection priorities. >> having spent time in yemen, langley, cia, afghanistan, what worries you the most as a member of congress? what should americans be most concerned about?

>> the micro actors having macro impact. all right. this is where one person can have a huge impact. who would have thought 11 people would have had the impact they did on 9/11. and those are the folks we have to worry about. when you look at isis right now, isis is the talent attracting for around the world. it's at higher levels. and i think afghanistan or the original wars in iraq ever war. what they are doing is is their ability to leverage social media to get their messaging out is unprecedented. when i was in afghanistan, pakistan chasing al qaeda and the taliban, they would do things called night letters. they would write a letter and leave it on people's door steps.

you can only hit a couple hundred people every night. but isis is hitting tens of millions every day and they are getting their message out in a way that is unprecedented. so their ability to grow, that is pretty scary. and then when you look at the cyber threats that we're facing around the world, it's just unbelievable. it is no longer about preventing someone from getting in. if you give me enough time, i'm getting into the individual network. the question becomes, how can you detect it, how can you contain it, and how can you kick people out. the number of people able to get into our sophisticated digital infrastructure is increasing exponentially as well. the thing is we have smart, hard-working americans in law enforcement agencies, military and civilian agencies that are keeping us safe and protecting us from these threats.

>> i have to ask you about the knife behind you. it looks pretty scary. where did it come from? >> it came from pakistan. when we left, it was the award you were given for good service. it is an adaptation of a gerka knife. they were south asians that were fierce warriors. the saying goes if you ever pulled your gerka knife, you can't put it back in the sheath without drawing blood. so this is a variant on that knife prevalent in pakistan. >> has all of this, your career, made it difficult to have a relationship. you're still single. >> yes, it has. i was engaged once to a girl from north texas. i said, hey, honey, guess what, i work for the cia and we're

moving to pakistan. that has a chilling effect on the relationship. but it was the right choice for her. and, you know, i just haven't found the right person just yet. i do travel a lot. i do move around a lot. but i'm young enough. my parents have grandkids, so they're not pushing me too hard. >> the members of congress you used to brief as a staffer, do they view you differently now that you're a colleague? >> so some of the ones that i had that caused me to run no longer exist. but here's what i will say. i have been shocked by how warm member-to-member relations are on both sides of the aisle. and the people that have been here and have a lot of experience had sought me out for my perspective and experience. and that has been pretty fantastic. >> what is the biggest learning curve for a freshman member of

congress -- as we deal with the bells that go off. >> i think the biggest learning curve is how do you manage your legislative team, your district team, and your political team. and those are three separate organizations that have to be managed that way. for me i realized a lot of my work up here is about responding to my constituents. if one person is having a problem in the district, then i guarantee you hundreds of people across the country are. how do we take the onesies and twosies and fix the prop on a back scale. and that is how i think we can be even more effective in representing our district and making sure we are fighting that bureaucracy for the folks. finally, are you where you're expected to be at the age of 37? >> i don't know. my thing is is, like i said

before, i learned things that are meaningful and hard. for me it's about having a positive. it's something they taught me to be honest to people and treat people with respect. and i was taught that at a young age. i continue to do that now. it's an exciting place to be in order to represent my country and my hometown and fight for 800,000 people that need to be fought for. >> any thought of what else would interest you politically? >> no. i'm interested in going back and learning the business again. for me, the next political objective is getting re-elected. there's a lot of folks that doubt doctor that are doubting my ability to do that. you know, they doubted me plenty already. and we know what we're doing. we're going to prove everyone wrong once again. >> congressman wilhurst from

texas, thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> tonight it's american history tv on primetime with a look at the 1965 voting rights act. first a discussion on the strategy used by president lyndon johnson, his staff, and members of congress. then we will take you back 50 years to the legislation signing at the u.s. capitol. and later a discussion on the history of voting rights from the reconstruction era to today. >> in our hour together we will learn how lbj got the voting rights act passed in congress. and going behind the scenes with white house telephone recordings that answer that question.